This is our take on a cocktail called “The Good Seed,” found on the drink menu at Charlie Was a Sinner. Not only is this bar one of Philadelphia’s many speakeasy-style establishments, it has the distinction of also being a fantastic vegan cafe offering creative, seasonal small plates in a dark, cozy, uber atmospheric setting on our beloved 13th Street.
The original cocktail contained such an intriguing ingredients list that it begged to be ordered, consumed and then adapted. Of course. It had gin, lime, celery juice, and a syrup made with celery seed and thyme. What’s not to love? The cocktail is beautifully balanced, with the celery and thyme playing into the herbaceous juniper notes in the gin, and the slight sweetness of the syrup tempering the tart acidity of the lime.
Ultimately, it was a surprising and refreshing cocktail that we couldn’t wait to try at home. We’re big fans here of creative variations on the traditional Gin & Tonic, mostly because gin plays so well with a wide variety of vegetal and herbal elements. In this version, every element is there except for the celery seed, which we didn’t have on hand. Sure, we could have run to the store for some, but we were more focused on getting to the drinking taste-testing.
You still get a crisp, refreshing—and dangerously drinkable, btw—green cocktail with which to toast the warming weather and the impending approach of summer. While you won’t miss the celery seed, it did call for a renaming ceremony, since “The Good Seed” didn’t really make sense anymore.
Playing on celery’s role in those green juice “detox” cleanses, the name “Re-tox” seemed an appropriate bastardization given the alcohol content. You’re welcome. Besides, it has tons of actual celery juice in it, plus lime juice and herbs, so it’s still basically a juice cleanse. Right? *hic*
Inspired by a cocktail at Charlie was a sinner.
- For the Thyme Syrup:
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 10 - 12 sprigs of thyme
- For the Celery Juice:
- 6 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup water
- For the Celery Gin Thyme Cocktail:
- 1 ½ ounces gin
- 3 ounces celery juice
- ½ ounce thyme syrup
- ½ lime, juiced
- Tonic water
- For the thyme syrup, heat sugar, water and thyme sprigs in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Discard thyme sprigs.
- For the celery juice, blend celery and water in a blender on high for one minute. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer or sieve. Alternatively, if you have a juicer, nix the water and simply juice the celery through the juicer.
- For the Celery Gin Thyme Cocktail, place gin, celery juice, thyme syrup and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass over ice. Top with a splash of tonic water and garnish with a celery stalk.
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